Ventilator



June 5, 1934. G. STEEB 1,961,806 M VENTILATOR Filed June 25, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 1 fitness.-

June 5, 1934. G. STEEB 1,961,800

VENTILATOR Filed June 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 5, 1934UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,961,800 VENTILATOR George Steeb, Buffalo,N. Y. Application June 25, 1931, Serial No. 546,806

'1 Claims. (01. 98- 72) This" invention relates to improvements in is.shown in Fig. 3, and on which is mounted the ventilators, and moreparticularly to that type of supporting tube or stack extension 12 of myimventilator adapted to be placed at the top of proved ventilator; thissupporting tube or stackventilating pipes or stacks, or chimneys,forming extension having its lower end fashioned to contniparts ofbuildings. form to the vent pipe or stack or other conduit on 60 One ofthe objects of my invention is the prowhich it is mounted. vision of aninexpensive ventilator of the type Ordinarily, when applying aventilator of this mentioned, whichwill include a rotatable memkind to avent pipe or stack, both the pipe or stack beror members arranged tooperate easily so and the supporting tube of the ventilator are q-gyithatthe ventilator will be effective under very made cylindrical, asshown in the drawings, and 65 light air currents, as well as under highwind any suitable means for properly fastening the speeds, and one thatwill act efficiently and be supporting tube to the ventilator pipe orstack able to have its parts disassembled so that it may may beemployed. Ordinarily the ventilator is be easily repaired. 5 braced orotherwise supported above the roof of 1 1 --Another object of myinvention is the provision the building to which it is applied, but theman- 7 of. aventilator of 1 the type mentioned, which is ner of securingthe same so as to assure its proper simple inconstruction, and in whichprovision is retention to the vent pipe or stack is of no immade forcausing the upward flow of air or other portance so far as my inventionis concerned gases through the vent pipe or stack to which it is Thesupporting tube has preferably an annu- 2d Iattanhed, under doublesuction action, and also lar internal rib 13 which bears against theupper 7 to effectively restrain the flow of the outside air edge of thevent pipe or stack 11, and its upper downwardly through the flue. end isopen. It is provided near its upper end i With the above and otherobjects to appear with a circular series of vent openings 14.Surhereinafter, the invention consists in the novel rounding the upperend of this supporting tube 5 .fifeatures of construction, and in thearrangement is a comparatively short tube or sleeve 15, which andcombination of parts to be hereinafter deis separated from thesupporting tube by an an scribed and more particularly pointed out inthe nular intervening space 16. This short outer subjoined claims. tubewith parts attached thereto, to be described In the accompanyingdrawings: hereinafter, I term a suction-inducing member,

30. Fig.1 is a side elevation of my improved venand it is secured to asupporting bracket 1'7 rotat- 85 tilator. 1 I able on a rod 18 clampedor otherwise secured in Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; transversebrace arms 19, disposed at right Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectiontaken on angles to each other and having opposite ends line 3-3, Fig. 1.secured to the wall of the supporting tube or stack -Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section taken on line extension 12. The spindle or shaft isaxially dis- 4+4, Fig; 3, looking upward or in the direction posed inthe supporting tube, and its lower end of the arrow cr ossing said line.is fitted into a step bearing 21 fastened to a lower Fig. dis ahorizontal section taken on line 5-5, transverse brace arm 22, the outerends of which Fig.3. 1 r are also secured to the wall of the supporting40 Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 6-6, tube.

Fig. 3-. The supporting bracket 17 has a U-shaped por- Fig. 7 is'ahorizontal section taken on line 7-7, tion 23 entered in the supportingtube from its Fig. 3. a upper end, the transverse or cross member 24 ofFig. 8'is an enlarged vertical section through which is provided with anupwardly-extending 45-3the'spindle bearing taken on line 8-8, Fig. 5.bearing sleeve 25 having anti-friction bearings 'FigL-Q is an inner viewof a portion of the lower 26, 27 at its upper and lower ends,respectively. or stack-surrounding rotatable suction-inducing Extendingradially from the upper ends of the member of thedevice. 1 side orvertical members 28 of the U-shaped por- F'ig. '10 is an enlargedsection taken on line tion 23 of said supporting bracket are supportingFig 1 arms 29. These arms are positioned over the up Reference being hadto the drawings in detail, per edge of the supporting tube or stackextenlike. numerals refer to like parts throughout the sion 12 and theirouter ends are directed downseveralviews. 6 wardly, as at 3.0, and liein contact with the inner The reference numeral 11 designates the usualsurface of the tube or sleeve 15; suitable bolts 55.. vent pipe orstack,of"which onlythe upper end. or other fastening means beingprovided to seno cure said downwardly-directed portions to said tube orsleeve.

The side or vertical members 28 of said U- shaped portion are spacedfrom the wall of the supporting tube so that the bracket is free torotate about the rod 18. Each of the anti-friction bearings and 27comprises an outer raceway 31 fastened within the bearing sleeve 25, aninner raceway 32 fastened in any suitable manner to the rod 18, andanti-friction balls 33 arranged between said raceways. The supportingtube is thus held against movement lengthwise on the rod.

The bearing sleeve 25 is of considerable length, and extending from itsupper end are additional supporting arms 34. These supporting arms arepositioned over the upper edge of the supporting tube or stack extension12 and the outer ends thereof are also fastened to the tube or sleeve15. The supporting arms 29 and 34 of the supporting bracket are disposedat right angles and they therefore serve to maintain the tube or sleeve15, thus assuring free and true action of said tube or sleeve,regardless of the speed under which it is rotated.

The surrounding tube or sleeve 15 is provided on its inner surface witha circular series of centrifugal or suction-inducing blades 35; theybeing disposed at an angle to the vertical, as best shown in Figs. 3, 5and 9, and on the outer side of said tube a circular series of propellerblades 36 are arranged; these being somewhat of arcuate or V-formation.Any propeller blades capable of causing rotation of the tube or sleeve15 by impact of the air currents thereagainst may, however, be employed.

The centrifugal or suction-inducing blades 35 correspond in number tothe propeller blades 36, and each propeller blade is provided withsecuring flanges 37, 38 disposed at an angle to each other.

extend through the flanges of the centrifugal or suction-inducingblades, through one of the securing flanges of each of the propellerblades and through the tube or sleeve 15, so that such fastening meansare common to both the centrifugal or suction-inducing blades and thepropeller blades. therfastening means 41 are provided to additionallysecure the flange of the propeller blades, and separate fastening means42 are also provided for additionally fastening portions of the securingflanges of the suction-inducing blades.

It is to be noted that the vent openings 14 open into the space 16between the upper end of the supporting tube 12 and the shortsurrounding tube or sleeve 15, or suction-inducing member as I term it;also, said suctiondnducing member is rotated due to the impact of theair current against the propeller blades 36, the centrifugal orsuction-inducing blades 35 draw the air and gases upwardly out of thestack and through the vent openings 14; such air or gases being directeddownwardly and escaping into the atmospheric air at the lower end of thesuction-inducing member, as clearly shown by the arrows in Fig. 8.

The rod 18 extends upwardly a distance above the upper end of thesupporting tube or stack extension 12 and has a cap or dome 43 rotatablyarranged thereon. This cap or dome is preferably of conical formation,tapering upwardly, and

at its lower end is provided with a depending apron 44, while at itsupper end it is provided with a short tubular portion 45 into which ananti-friction bearing 46 is arranged; this antifriction bearingcomprising an outer raceway 47 secured in the tubular portion 45, aninner raceway 48 secured in any manner to the upper end of the rod 18,and anti-friction balls 49 interposed between the two raceways.

Fitted. over and fastened to the short tubular portion 45 of the cap ordome is a nipple 50 which is soldered or otherwise secured to saidtubular portion and has its upper end exteriorly screw-threaded toreceive a screw-cap 51. Upon removing the cap from the nipple 50, accessto the anti-friction bearing may be had for properly lubricating thesame. If desired, the nipple may be packed with a semi-fluid lubricant,the lubricant being retained between the raceways of the anti-frictionbearing, and also between the anti-friction bearing and said cap.

The base of the cap or dome 43 is somewhat larger in diameter than thediameter of the tube or suction-inducing member 15, and thus overhangsthe same, and at least a portion of the propeller blades 36 applied tothe exterior of said tube or suction-inducing member. The cap or dome,being positioned for rotation on the rod 18, is necessarily co-axialwith the supporting tube and the suction-inducing member 15.

A brace member 52 is arranged diametrically within the cap or dome,preferably above the depending apron 44. In this brace member 52 ananti-friction bearing 531s arranged, it comprising an outer raceway 54secured in a suitable cup 55 formed on the brace member, or otherwise,an inner raceway 56 secured to the spindle or shaft 18 in any approvedmanner, and anti-friction balls 57 arranged between the two raceways.

On the inner surface of the conical wall of the cap or dome, a circularseries of centrifugal or suction-inducing blades 58 is secured; thesebeing arranged obliquely within the cap or dome and servingunderrotation of said cap or dome to draw air and gases up through thestack and the supporting tube or stack extension 12, causing such airand gases to be directed toward the sloping wall of the cap or dome, theair or gases being thence directed downwardly and outwardly by said walloutside of the suction-inducing member 15. The air or gases so directedalong the suction-inducing member also tends to create suction at thelower end of said suc- 1 tion-inducing member 15, and thus assist thecentrifugal or suction-inducing blades 35 of the latter in drawing theair and gases through the vent openings 14 of the supporting tube orstack 59, and each centrifugal suction-inducing blade is provided with asecuring flange 60. Each of the propeller blades 59 is provided withsecuring flanges 61, 62, disposed at an angle to each other, one of theflanges of each exterior propeller blade being in line with the flangeof an tion and trend in different directions.

interior centrifugal or suction-inducing blade, and fastening means 63,such as rivets, bolts, or the like, are passed through one of theflanges of each of the exterior propeller blades and through thesecuring flange of an interior centrifugal or suction-inducing blade,also through the dome proper. There are consequently fastening meansprovided which are common to both the propeller blades and thecentrifugal or suction-inducing blades of the dome. Separate fasteningmeans 64 are passed through the other flanges of the propeller blades.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, that I employ two sets ofcentrifugal or suction-inducing blades and that the propeller bladesformed on the two members carrying such two sets of centrifugal orsuction-inducing blades may be differently shaped; also that thesupporting surface having such propeller blades or elements appliedthereto are of different forma- It has been found that at times aircurrents failing to act on propeller elements mounted in a particularmanner or arranged at a particular angle failed to operate under lightair currents coming in contact with the ventilator under certainconditions, while propeller elements otherwise disposed would be broughtinto operation under such conditions; and therefore, under my doubleaction device, I am assured of the withdrawal of the air and gases fromthe interior of a building under all conditions of air currents, whetherat low or high speed, since one or the other of the sets of propellerblades will be brought into motion and cause its corresponding set ofcentrifugal or suction-inducing blades to create a partial vacuum withinthe supporting tube 12, which results in an outrush of the air or gasesfrom the interior of the building. It is also to be noted that both setsof centrifugal or suctioninducing blades will always be brought intoaction under higher wind speeds, assuring high efficiency and greaterdisplacement of the interior air than would otherwise be possible.

It is obvious that my invention may be employed in various Ways andchanges made without departing from the spirit of or sacrificing any ofthe advantages thereof; also that portions of the structure illustratedand described may be employed without utilizing other portions, all inaccordance with the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A ventilator, comprising a supporting tube of predetermined length,an imperforate tube having the major portion of its length surroundingthe upper end of said supporting tube and separated therefrom by aspace, means of communication between the interior of said supportingtube and said intervening space, said means being provided in the Wallof said supporting tube, propeller elements on the exterior of saidsurrounding tube, and means on the interior of said surrounding tube forcreating suction to cause air to be drawn through said means ofcommunication.

2. A ventilator, comprising a supporting tube adapted to be fastened toa stack or conduit and having a circular series of vent openings in itswall, a rod non-rotatably and axially disposed within said supportingtube and extending upwardly therefrom, a dome rotatably mounted on saidrod, a supporting bracket rotatable on said rod and held againstmovement lengthwise along the same, a second tube surrounding saidsupporting tube in the plane of the circular series of vent openingstherein and fastened to said bracket in spaced relation to saidsupporting tube, propeller blades on the exterior of said second tubeand centrifugal blades on the interior thereof, said centrifugal bladesacting to draw air upwardly in said supporting tube and outwardlythrough the vent openings in the wall thereof and serving also todeflect the air so withdrawn downwardly and outwardly through the loweropen end of said second tube.

3. A ventilator, comprising a supporting tube having a circular seriesof vent openings in its wall, a rod axially and non-rotatably disposedwithin said supporting tube and extending upwardly from the upper endthereof, a dome mounted on said rod, a supporting bracket rotatable onsaid rod and having spaced-apart antifriction bearings and a U-shapedportion extending into the open upper end of said supporting tube, saidbracket also having arms extending radially from said U-shaped portionabove the upper edge of said supporting tube, a second tube secured tothe outer ends of said arms in spaced relation to said supporting tubeand in the plane of the vent openings therein, propeller elements onsaid second tube, and suction-inducing means on said second tube tocause air to travel in said supporting tube and outwardly through theven openings therein.

4. A ventilator, comprising a supporting tube having a circular seriesof vent openings near its upper end, a rod axially and non-rotatablyarranged within said supporting tube, a tube-supporting elementcomprising a U-shaped member having arms extending radially from theupper ends thereof and having a bearing sleeve pro-- vided withspaced-apart anti-friction bearings at opposite ends through which saidrod axially extends, said bearing sleeve having supporting armsextending from its upper end, a second tube secured to theradially-extending arms of said U-shaped member and to said supportingarms in spaced relation to said supporting tube and in the plane of saidcircular series of vent openings, propeller blades on the exterior ofsaid second tube, and centrifugal blades on the interior of said secondtube.

5. A ventilator, comprising a supporting tube having a circular seriesof vent openings near its upper end, a rod axially disposed within saidsupporting tube and held against rotation, said rod extending upwardlyabove said supporting tube, a dome supported by said rod, a tube supporthaving a U-shaped portion extending downwardly into said supporting tubeand having radial arms at the upper ends of its side members terminatingin depending portions, a tube secured to said depending portions inspaced relation to said supporting tube, a bearing sleeve extendingupwardly from the cross member of said U-shaped portion and throughwhich said rod axially extends, and supporting arms connecting the uperend of said bearing sleeve with said second tube, propeller blades onthe exterior and 14 the latter, a conical dome tapering upwardly andprovided with a short tubular portion at its apex, a hearing within saidshort tubular portion, a diametral brace through which said rod extendshaving its outer ends secured to the Wall of said dome near its lowerportion, a bearing for said rod carried by said brace, propellerelements on the exterior of said dome, and centrifugal elements on theinterior of said dome serving to draw the air upwardly from saidsupporting tube and to force the air so drawn out of the tube downwardlyand outwardly around the supporting tube '7. In a ventilator, asupporting tube, a rod non-rotatably arranged within said supportingtube and extending upwardly above the upper end of the latter, a conicaldome tapering upwardly and provided with a short tubular portion at itsapex, a bearing within said short tubular portion in which said rod isaxially arranged, a nipple surrounding said short tubular portion andsecured thereto, said nipple extending upwardly above said short tubularportion and above the bearing therein, a cap removably secured to theupper end of said nipple, exterior propeller elements on said dome,interior centrifugal elements in said dome, and means to maintain thelower portion of said dome concentric with said rod.

GEORGE STEEB.

